Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 514,178 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 26.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,455,758 shares of the company's stock after selling 514,178 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public accounts for about 0.5% of Victory Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 1.47% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $491,973,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 750.0% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 85 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 94.9% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 115 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of WTW stock traded up $1.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $308.42. 188,511 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 644,902. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $306.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $316.53. The stock has a market cap of $30.58 billion, a PE ratio of -616.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.68. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $262.57 and a 12 month high of $344.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.27 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a positive return on equity of 20.53% and a negative net margin of 0.54%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is currently -736.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total transaction of $505,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,783,316.50. This trade represents a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on WTW shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $371.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $367.11.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.